Harvey Gates a Free Lance Writer (1915) 🇺🇸

In order that he may devote all his time to the writing of photoplays Harvey Gates, who has achieved a reputation in the film world as a publicity expert of exceptional ability, has left the Lubin company at Phoenix, Ariz., of which Romaine Fielding is the director. It was two months ago that Harvey, as he is known to a host of friends in the game, severed his affiliations with the Universal company, where he had been associate editor of the Universal Weekly and had handled a great part of the trade paper publicity, to write scenarios for Fielding and do his personal publicity work. One of his two-reel plays, West, Two Thousand Miles, is just being completed in Phoenix, and another, “Dr Gonzales, from Mexico,” in three reels, is the next one scheduled for production.

The publicity dope put out for Fielding by Harvey has attracted widespread attention. “Giving Credit,” a feature article which appeared in the New York Dramatic Mirror annual, is one of his stunts, and there are those who should know who are ready to assert that he is the sole author of it. Harvey first broke in as a writer and film reviewer on the Dramatic Mirror over two years ago. Here he remained for a year and during this time he started the writing of photoplays and found success almost immediately.

Following, he became associated with the Universal, and while his duties as editor and publicity man were arduous, he found time to turn out scenarios which sold. Among those which he has had produced are: I Was Meant for You, Biograph; Concentration, Biograph; His Father’s House, Biograph; The Scar, Biograph; The Elder Brother, a two-reel Essanay in which Francis X. Bushman starred; When the World Was Silent, a three-reel Imp drama; At the Banquet Table, two-reel Imp, and “In the Hands of the Potter,” Essanay.

For the present Harvey will be located in Salt Lake City, where he has gone, with his wife, to visit his folks, from whom he has been separated several years. Bennie (Zeidman) of Lubinville and he left Fielding’s Lubin company the same day, an odd coincidence in that they are the first two men from the Rialto and the film game to ever join the director. It is generally understood that Fielding has always taken his people from the “brush.” Bennie is now located in Los Angeles, and there is a probability of Mr. Gates moving on to the Pacific coast within a month or so. As it is, he is confining his efforts to scenarios which he has every assurance of finding a ready market for.

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“Runaway June”

Episode five tells of “A Woman in Trouble” — another influence crosses the path of June.

Reviewed by Margaret I. MacDonald.

In the fifth of the interesting episodes of Runaway June we believe that at last we have an inkling as to the final outcome of the unfortunate incident from which the serial gets its name. But then the man with the black vandyke had rather an unpromising expression, we remember, as the curtain dropped, and June, although out of his clutches for the moment, is still on the run, and we haven’t the slightest idea where she is headed for. Nevertheless, of one thing we can be certain — at least we think we can — the incident of “The Woman in Trouble” is going to go a long way toward sending foolish June back to her husband’s arms. This woman, peeved at the smallness of her weekly allowance, it not being sufficiently large to cover the trifles of her existence, enters a gambling house where through the instrumentality of the “man with the Black Vandyke” June has been given employment, and is called on a debt of eight hundred dollars. Her husband is notified and through the scene that takes place the police come to raid the gambling house, a mock fire is arranged, and while the firemen are putting out the fire June and the others escape.

Some comedy has been worked into this episode where the colored servant from June’s own home goes marketing and comes across June’s maid. On the whole the producing end has not been quite as successful with this as with the previous episodes, and a slight bit of padding is noticeable.

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Scene from Runaway June (Mutual)

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Faithful Services Earns Manager Theater

Robert J. Harmon, who has been associated with Max Stern, now president of the Majestic Theater Company, Columbus, Ohio, operating the Majestic Theater, one of the biggest and best picture houses in that city, for the past ten years was rewarded for his long and faithful service by being given the Exhibit Theater, one of the picture houses owned by Mr. Stern. Mr. Harmon was managing the Edisonia for Mr. Stern for two years and for eight years he directed the destinies of the Exhibit. There was a consideration in the deal, but it was only nominal.

Mr. Harmon recently announced that he would close the theater for a short period, during which time it will be repaired. He has taken a long new lease on the property. The Exhibit was one of the finest theaters in the early days of exhibiting, and will again be in that category when improvements have been completed.

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Theater Advertising

Exhibitors will notice that the appeal for dignified yet snappy and striking advertising display has been answered by a concern who are supplying by mail and express all through the country, hand painted signs, show cards, banners and other display.

Individual expression can now be given to any theater’s advertising without more cost than by using the lithographed posters.

Nicholas Kessel has inaugurated the new concern known as the Kessel Advertising System of 155 West 46th street, New York City.

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Burlesque Detective Series

Allen Curtis has started production on the second of his detective travesty series featuring Gale Henry and Max Asher in the title roles of “Lady Baffles” and “Detective Duck.” The series is intended to burlesque the impossible secret service plays which have been prevalent of late and of yore. In these secret service and governmental near-tragedies plans of fortifications and explosive formulae are usually on the brink of being stolen. Sometimes the theft actually does take place, but the foreign spy (usually the “spy” looks perilously like a Mexican general), is caught before he has time to open the portfolio containing the precious papers.

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“Pop” Rock at Palm Beach

Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Rock left New York on Friday, Feb. 5, for Palm Beach, Fla. A large party of friends assembled at the Pennsylvania station, New York, to wish them a pleasant trip. “Pop” expects to remain in the region of balmy weather for several weeks.

Collection: Moving Picture World, February 1915